Santa Monica Climate Reality: Marine layer mornings and cool afternoons
Is it going to shine, fog, or maybe something worse? The summers start gray and ease into golden afternoons, while the winters are cool, rainy, and known for PCH puddles. Here's what else is going on around Santa Monica that will impact the time you spend outside.
Jessica, Our Local Expert Guiding Your Move
Jessica is a born and raised Angeleno who has spent 30 years bouncing between East LA, the Westside, and the Valley, usually with a trunk full of boxes and a strong opinion about neighborhoods. She moved eight times between 2013 and 2023 and genuinely loves it, especially the decluttering part and the chance to reinvent herself with each new move. A former teacher of eight years, she has taught everyone from pre K kids learning their ABCs to high schoolers stressing over college essays. She loves California for the beaches, sunshine, hidden lakes, and hikes that feel like they belong in another state entirely. Her guilty pleasure is the Custard Front Drive donut from Donut Friend, she road trips whenever possible, and she is slowly working through a bucket list of every national park. She lives with two bonded cats, Marty the black cat and Jelly the tabby. At Snappy Scout, Jessica edits California guides with deep local instincts built over decades of real CA living.
Read moreWritten with local insight from Snappy Scout relocation experts
What's the Weather Really Like in Santa Monica?
The forecast, the fashion, and the fine print locals wish someone had told them sooner.
Summer temps be like
Beach oven on low (mostly mid 70s, rare 80s).
Winter lows are
Cardigan weather, not crisis (high 40s to low 50s).
The humidity makes me
frizz like a sea anemone.
Unique weather patterns
June Gloom and May Gray, marine layer latte foam till noon, ocean zephyrs by three, occasional Santa Ana winds flipping patio and beach umbrellas.
Local weather fashion tip
Carry a hoodie in July, wear sunscreen at breakfast, sunglasses live in your hair, umbrellas are rare props.
You know it's time to get out of town when
the ocean stops delivering dopamine, so locals escape to Palm Springs or Big Bear.
Bugs be like
mostly chill, a few beach gnats, opportunist ants after the first rain, gulls count as weather.
You're stuck indoors again today because
an atmospheric river is stress testing your rain boots and the boardwalk has become a reflective infinity pool.
Green thumb enthusiasts love
year-round herbs, citrus that acts smug, succulents that refuse to die, bougainvillea doing drama, fog cooled veggies, just watch for mildew and pamper the drainage.
My Favorite Season in Santa Monica
Summer gets tons of hype, but the amount of people out and about can be overwhelming. Not to mention it makes finding parking that much harder. So I really enjoy Fall in Santa Monica. There is a slower enjoy to it, and you see fewer tourists (although, they visit year-round). You can still have a very sunny beach day in September or October, but you won’t have to set up your tent two feet from someone.
— Jessica Montes
California Local Expert
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